JOY 2007 was a spectacular event.
The show opened with Laya Rajan performing three classical Odissi dances. The first, Mangalacharan was an invocatory piece. The second was Dasavatar, a dance that praises the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The final Odissi number was Mokshya, a short piece that packs a punch. It is a fast paced concluding item, symbolizing salvation. The overriding theme throughout the dances was, quite simply, joy: religious faith, aesthetic delight, and the exhilaration of movement.
The second part of the show was Vivaldi's Four Seasons. In this fusion item, four dancers combined their talents, each dancing their interpretation of one season. DAD was fortunate to have two professional dancers from New York City join this performance. Malinda Crump, a modern dancer, was Spring. Erikka Valero interpreted Summer through flamenco. Laya choreographed Autumn in the Bharatanatyam dance style, and Lauren Dierlam, class of '08 at Lakeland High School, performed Winter in ballet. The final allegro of the work was a fusion, choreographed by Laya, where all four dancers came together to exult in the sheer joy of dance. The message: Although we may come from different places, our feet speak the same language.
The masters of ceremonies were Phil Cutrone and Nagamani Srinivasan. At the 2 PM show, Dr. Ralph Napolitano, Superintendant of Yorktown Schools was the guest speaker, while Andrew Spano, the Westchester County Executive, addressed the audience at the 7 PM show.
"...Not only does [Laya] embrace the message that she can make a difference in her community and world, she has found the vehicle to do it - through her program, Dance Against Drugs," Dr. Napolitano said. "I am so proud of Laya because she...humbly looks for the best in others while giving the best of herself. [She] gives us the best of both worlds."
The Hon. Andrew J. Spano summed it up very well when he said: "Laya is symbolic of everything that we really want to happen…[JOY] is a celebration of dance, a celebration of youth, and a celebration of community, all in one place. And that’s incredible."